Suspicion among the other players had long been rife that he may have used some substances to help him become one of the fittest and strongest guys around, although there was never any proof. There were some dubious circumstances, none more than his early-morning withdrawal from the defence of his title at the 2002 Australian Open, citing a wrist injury.

Back then I remember Australian Sports Drug Agency boss John Mendoza maintaining drugs were a major issue for the sport and claiming the ATP Tour was covering up positive results. I also recall Magnus Norman, a French Open finalist, writing in a book that was only ever printed in Swedish that there were suspicions about Agassi being one of the six names that never came to light after being found to have tested positive by the ATP. Agassi had been locked away for hours with the tour hierarchy in Melbourne and a knowing look appeared on many faces in the locker room. I guess we will never know the answers to those questions, although I agree with this week’s demands that those in the ATP who know the answers owe it to the sport to finally come clean.

You know, it's funny, but I'm starting to wonder if all of Agassi's little revelations (there's another one out today about his fake hairpiece) are attempts to ultimately "get back" at his father.

Click to expand...

I would not be at all surprised. Agassi is taking something you've got to assume his father is really proud of "His son the great tennis player, career grand slam, olympic gold medalist etc" and completely destroying that image. If Tennis goes down as well, even better.

His father was a monster indeed. I actually blame the father for starting him off any pills/any kind of pills to enhance performance or improve alertness. How can somebody do something like that to his own child?????? That is child abuse in my book!!!!

HAHAHAHA, and there are posters on this board who think we live in a weak era. The second most successful player of the 90's was a drug addict - that's how bad the rest of the players were that they got beaten by someone who was on drugs. HAHAHAHA

So this whole theory about Nadal getting a positive test before Wimbledon this year doesn't sound so stupid anymore right? But of course he just had a little "knee injury" that's all.

Click to expand...

I don't want to believe that :-?

And some of you all said Andre is doing all this revelations because of his father but can it be against the ATP? I mean for everyone to learn the truth behind scenes? Maybe he realized some cover-ups done recently and wanted to reveal it not by giving names but just telling his own cover-up expecting people to discover this ugly truth.

And some of you all said Andre is doing all this revelations because of his father but can it be against the ATP? I mean for everyone to learn the truth behind scenes? Maybe he realized some cover-ups done recently and wanted to reveal it not by giving names but just telling his own cover-up expecting people to discover this ugly truth.

Click to expand...

Wow, now that's taking the latest news and heading off somewhere else altogether with it! Though I would agree your proposed version of Agassi's motivations make him look a tad bit more noble than he's been looking of late...

In the meantime, here's more reaction to his speed-before-the-match admission. The highbrows are starting to get really pissed off now:

Andre what are you doing? People will buy your book anyway, stop doing this to yourself.

Click to expand...

The book has already been printed, with early preview copies provided to the media, so all these revelations are coming from the same source and are selected by the media. Agassi is not literally speaking to the media and providing new information which is not already in the book, so he is not in a position to stop doing anything. The genie is already out of the bottle.

And for the life of me i can't quite understand why Agassi has come out with this. Does he want to be disgraced? Doesn he want to screw the ATP? I just don't get it.

Questions will be asked to the ATP about how agassi went under the drugdar and somehow didn't get a ban. Maybe it was due to the fact that he was the 'tennis personality' and many people aspired to be just like him.

He would have lost many aspiring fans methinks. Having said that he has done great things for charity and it's his choice to take drugs.....

good grief!
no wonder a current player said Federer is the cleanest world #1 around and that if the ATP were to release the names of superstars that have been caught and tested positive;this would be huge

There is no evidence (yet) confirming it, but if any came out, I wouldn't be surprised if news broke how on Rafa took performance enhancing drugs.

It's just a hunch, but I'm amused at how Pete alludes to it in his latest interview. He deflects speculation of course by saying in jest how people around him often bring up the possibility, but hey, as the saying goes, quite often, where there's smoke...

And for the life of me i can't quite understand why Agassi has come out with this. Does he want to be disgraced? Doesn he want to screw the ATP? I just don't get it.

Questions will be asked to the ATP about how agassi went under the drugdar and somehow didn't get a ban. Maybe it was due to the fact that he was the 'tennis personality' and many people aspired to be just like him.

He would have lost many aspiring fans methinks. Having said that he has done great things for charity and it's his choice to take drugs.....

Click to expand...

I think Agassi's doing a good thing by revealing that the ATP willingly covers up superstar players. Now we know the truth, and we can begin the drug clean-up.

This has the potential to get really ugly for the ATP...I love(d) Agassi, but this is getting a bit tough to handle. This guy could single handedly bring down the little bit of credit the ATP has left in the U.S. Not exactly what the sport needs considering it's already anemic state in America.

good grief!
no wonder a current player said Federer is the cleanest world #1 around and that if the ATP were to release the names of superstars that have been caught and tested positive;this would be huge

Click to expand...

If Federer is the cleanest nr.1,what does that say about the ATP? If he is the cleanest,the logical assumption would have to be that most other nr.1 had some "dirt" on them.

I for one don't believe in "dirtyness" in a player unless we can find some proof(but real proof not circumstantial evidence). People don't think of Fed as a doper because of his beautiful,efficient game but I have watched Fed since 2002 and I have rarely seen him sweat when he gets to a 4th or 5h set(except in AO where it's really hot and he had mono at the time). McEnroe,a guy who some to this day consider the epitome of classical,beautiful tennis,took steroids. So God only knows what "machines" like Borg took. If guys were doing this sort of stuff in the 80's what doping agents do you think they are doing today and how are they hiding it since the tech has got better.

People point to Nadal because of his muscles and endurance but feats equaling or surpassing Nadal have been done before in the 80's or 90's by other players. Today most players don't have a tennis players body even if everybody points the finger at Nadal. Most guys today are bigger,faster and have more endurance than their past counterparts. Some say it is due to better conditioning than in the past,some say it's because of doping,some think it's a combination of both.

I for one have no idea if Nadal is guilty or not. I hope he isn't but I also hope another thing: if the ATP do dish out the dirt,let us know all the dirty champions,not just recent ones,although this has a one in a million chance of happening.

And another closing thought about that certain player,who I assume is Santoro. How can he and other tennis players know/suspect things like this and not say a word? They are as guilty in my opinion as the guys covering it up. I saw a TV interview with Nastase who,responding to the recent doping discoveries,said that in his day there were certain high profile players who were suspected of doping by their peers but nothing came out. These are words coming from the first official nr.1 in the Open era,back in the 70's. So if this is true,tennis hasn't been a clean sport for quite some time,even though we all like to think that this is a modern problem.

So this whole theory about Nadal getting a positive test before Wimbledon this year doesn't sound so stupid anymore right? But of course he just had a little "knee injury" that's all.

Click to expand...

The less you know, the more you make up. Why is Nadal singled out? Why not Monfils, Tsonga, Murray and numerous others? Oh let me guess, because apart from Murray he is the only one who can consistantly beat Herr Federer. Why not try giving Nadal some credit for dedication and hard work + talent. Your
theory and that of others, surrounding Wimbledon sound stupid because that is exactly what they are.

The less you know, the more you make up. Why is Nadal singled out? Why not Monfils, Tsonga, Murray and numerous others? Oh let me guess, because apart from Murray he is the only one who can consistantly beat Herr Federer. Why not try giving Nadal some credit for dedication and hard work + talent. Your
theory and that of others, surrounding Wimbledon sound stupid because that is exactly what they are.

Click to expand...

Fuentes case. Not one single other tennis player has ever been linked to a massive doping scandal that HAPPENS TO TAKE PLACE IN ONES OWN NATIVE COUNTRY.

Give it a break, man. You will never come up with any evidence, so why bother? You can find any imagined correlation you want in your head.

Meanwhile Fed better watch out as Nadal is coming after him.

Click to expand...

Please name another tennis player currently that has ever been linked to a doping scandal that took place in one's own native country. Also, I have the right to express my opinion on these forums as long as I do not break the rules. Now go shoo.

Fuentes case. Not one single other tennis player has ever been linked to a massive doping scandal that HAPPENS TO TAKE PLACE IN ONES OWN NATIVE COUNTRY.

Click to expand...

As far as I am aware there is no proof that Nadal's name was linked to the Fuentes case. This is all in the minds of those who want to believe ill of Nadal. Like I said the less you know the more you make up.

Please name another tennis player currently that has ever been linked to a doping scandal that took place in one's own native country. Also, I have the right to express my opinion on these forums as long as I do not break the rules. Now go shoo.

Click to expand...

Why don't you add a few more conditions to your first sentence LOL

Your presumption is wrong, your logic is non-existent, and you are just adding more and more stuff which is just not there - and you want people to respond to them?

How does someone prove something that does not exist? I honestly can't.

As far as I am aware there is no proof that Nadal's name was linked to the Fuentes case. This is all in the minds of those who want to believe ill of Nadal. Like I said the less you know the more you make up.

Click to expand...

Yes, he fails to understand even that. Then he builds a house on top of that and wonders what is wrong.

Your presumption is wrong, your logic is non-existent, and you are just adding more and more stuff which is just not there - and you want people to respond to them?

How does someone prove something that does not exist? I honestly can't.

Click to expand...

That does not exist? We do not know if it exists, or does not exist. There is speculation that Nadal is on that list, and the people who are holding that list happen to be the Spanish Anti-Doping Authorities.

Fuentes case. Not one single other tennis player has ever been linked to a massive doping scandal that HAPPENS TO TAKE PLACE IN ONES OWN NATIVE COUNTRY.

Click to expand...

So let me get this straight,the spaniards have discovered the "magic formula" while the other countries lag behind? Are we so naive to think that other big tennis countries don't have access to spain's doping agents? Yes,Spain has a big doping scandal involving cyclists,football players and tennis players. These are the ones that have come out. Perhaps there are hundreds of guys like fuentes in Spain alone and I doubt that other big countries don't have access to EPO and such,especially considering the fact that the tennis world is a pretty closed off affair where the participants usually know and suspect if the other guy is on something or not. There are a lot of scandals waiting to happen in other countries,I'm sure of that.

And again,why Nadal? There is absolutely no official way to link Nadal to this case,except that French newspaper who made some allegations that he was on that list, based on nothing but speculation(and we know how the french feel about him). Why not Ferrer,who is even more of a grinder than Nadal? Why not Verdasco,who has bigger muscles than Nadal all-around? Why not one of the other tens of spanish players in the top 100? Probably because Nadal is the star of the Spanish squad and because he has a big bicep,big endurance and has beat the classical player,Federer,quite a few times.

We need to know ALL the dopers,not just the guys at the top. Would it have been better if Nadal was doping and was in the top20? For me,it would have been just as worse.